The New England Patriots are trying to put the Pittsburgh Steelers in a real bind at wide receiver. The Patriots have signed Emmanuel Sanders, a Steelers restricted free agent, to a one-year, $2.5 million offer sheet, according to multiple media reports.

Now it's up to the Steelers to decide whether they want to match the deal. If they don't, the fourth-year player will become a Patriot, with New England parting with a 2013 third-round draft pick (91st overall) as compensation. The Steelers, who have $1.9 million in cap space, have five days to match the offer.

Sanders, a third-round pick of the Steelers in '10, has been a valuable third receiver for the team behind top route-runner Antonio Brown and now departed speedster Mike Wallace. After Wallace signed with the Miami Dolphins as an unrestricted free agent in March, Sanders was in line for a larger role if he stayed in Pittsburgh.

The Patriots, meanwhile, are in the midst of their own overhaul at wideout. Prolific pass catchers Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd are gone, and they signed Danny Amendola to replace Welker. If Sanders ends up with the Patriots, they'll be adding a solid wideout with good run-after-catch ability but not a touchdown maker. Last season, Sanders (5-11, 180) had a career-high 44 catches for 626 yards and one TD.

If Sanders joins Wallace in departing, the Steelers would need to find more targets for Ben Roethlisberger. With the No. 17 overall pick in this month's draft, they would have a shot at one of the top wide receiver prospects, including West Virginia's Tavon Austin, Tennessee's Cordarrelle Patterson and California's Keenan Allen.

Meanwhile, the Patriots boosted their receiving corps further Wednesday by re-signing Julian Edelman to a one-year, incentive-laden contract. Edelman visited the Giants last week. In addition to Amendola, Edelman and possibly Sanders, the Patriots’ new receiving unit also includes recently signed Michael Jenkins and Donald Jones.